1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of the processing, by solidification, of the wastes of various types with a view to the obtaining of inert materials capable of being stored in an appropriate site.
More particularly, it pertains to a method as well as to the appropriate installation for the obtaining, from wastes in a variety of forms, of molded materials, for example by extrusion, the physical/chemical stability of which has been notably improved.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Until now, the wastes solidification technique has consisted of introducing the waste simultaneously with at least one solidification agent into a mixer of the same type as those used for the manufacture of concrete. The hardened or solidified mixture is then removed for dumping in an appropriate site.
Apart from the fact that this technique is done discontinuously, there is no precise control over the temperature or the rheological characteristics of the waste and of the mixture of this waste with the solidification reagents. In view of the importance of these parameters, as shall be seen further below, as regards the various complex reactions leading to the stabilization of the wastes, it is not possible to meet the quality requirements currently prevailing in the ecological field.
One of the essential aims of the invention is to obtain optimum stability in storage after solidification for all the main types of the most common wastes as well as to devise a method of continuous industrial-scale treatment that can be adapted to many types of wastes and can be used to convert these wastes into molded masses that are extruded, for example, and are capable of being stored directly at the dumping sites.